Microsoft just gave Windows 11 Insider builds a new expiration date

What you need to know

• Microsoft shipped Windows 11 Build 23526 to Insiders in the Dev Channel to end this week.
• The update includes several changes and improvements, including an improved casting experience.
• Starting with this build, the expiration date of Insider builds sent to the Dev Channel has been extended to September 15, 2024.

Microsoft released Windows 11 Build 23526 to Insiders in the Dev Channel this week. The update includes a few changes and improvements, such as an improved casting experience and the OS no longer showing a blank box when a file lacks a rich thumbnail preview. The build also ships several fixes.

While not a new feature, it's important to note that Microsoft set a new expiration date for Insider builds released to the Dev Channel. Assuming you're running Build 23526 or an upcoming future release to the Dev Channel, the build will not expire until September 15, 2024. This is normal procedure for Microsoft but is still noteworthy.

Microsoft outlined what's changed, improved, and fixed in a blog post:

Build 23526: Changes & Improvements

General

• Insider Preview Build Expiration: The expiration date for Insider Preview builds flighted to the Dev Channel has been updated to 9/15/2024 starting with Build 23526. Please make sure you are updated to the latest build in the Dev Channel.

Start menu

• For files that do not have rich thumbnail previews that can be provided, it will no longer show a blank preview area. This is part of the work for rich thumbnail previews (tooltips) for cloud files on Start that began rolling out with Build 23511.

Cast

• Building off the Cast improvements introduced with Build 23516, we have updated the Cast flyout in Quick Settings with additional support for you in case you face any trouble discovering nearby displays, fixing connections, and more.

Narrator

• Changed default verbosity level from 2 to 3 which will now announce “Immediate Context Name and Type”. The Control context type like “list” or “toolbar” will allow users to better understand the focused control – same default as JAWS and NVDA.
• Narrator users are unblocked for typing Traditional Chinese characters in Windows by addition of Traditional Chinese dictionary for detailed reading.
• When navigating to any attachment in Outlook with scan mode, narrator announces the & of the attachment, the same is now reflected on braille display.
• Navigate to different headings in Scan Mode using down arrow, or ‘Space + 4’ key in Braille device, now navigating to heading is reflected in Braille.
• When navigating a list with items , whenever Narrator announces index with the menu item name, Braille display also reflects the same index values as “1 of 4”.